The Red Mystery
by VioletDemon241
Summary: If Naruto had a friend, do you think things would've been different? Well, meet Akane Mizu, a girl that has no memory of her past. Watch as how Naruto and Akane overcome their obstacles and make their dreams come true while secrets are revealed.
1. Prologue

**What's up bros and bras? My name...is _VioletDemon_! I know I deleted the old version of the Red Mystery, but I'm think the new version will be better. So, I hope that this will be better and I hope you guys think the same thing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. If I did, then Sakura would be dead and Sasuke would be worshiping Naruto's very existence.**

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**Prologue**

It was October 10th, nine years since the Kyuubi attack. Konoha was filled with cheers and celebrations for the 'death' of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Local bars were filled with celebrating shinobi, the festival brimming with joy.

Except one person wasn't enjoying it; a certain nine year old to be exact. Naruto Uzumaki sat on a tree branch in the middle of the training grounds, listening to the celebration. He knew being in the village would be a bad idea, considering the fact that the villagers wanted to kill him. He didn't know the reason why the villagers hated him, but he knew not to be there during the celebration. He had already learned his lesson when he went to a grocery store three years ago and was chased throughout the village by a massive mob. Thank God he only got away with a few broken ribs and some other injuries.

Naruto stared into the night sky, amazed by how the stars looked. 'Wow! That's the Big Dipper. Oh, and there's its brother, the Little Dipper.'

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard rustling from the bushes. He stood up and took out a kunai. Could it be another one of the drunken villagers?

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

The rustling continued until finally, a figure came out. Even though he couldn't see them well enough, he still couldn't believe it. A girl around his age stumbled her way into the middle of the training field. She looked a bit a wobbly and soon fell face first into the ground.

"Oh shit!"

He jumped down from the tree branch and ran towards her. He wrapped one hand under her head and the other around her waist. He then stared at her sleeping figure.

The girl had long midnight black hair that reached all the way to her waist and had medium brown skin. The weird thing about her was that she had a red tear drop on her right cheek, an uncommon trait in the Leaf. Her clothing was torn and most importantly, blood was flowing from her forehead.

'She could die if I don't take her to a hospital,' Naruto thought. 'But no way in hell would they allow me in there. Argh! Guess I'll have to take her to my place then.'

With that, he carried her bridesmaid style and sprinted back to his apartment.

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**Girl's POV**

I pried my red eyes open and looked around. 'Where am I?'

It looked like an old, raggedy, run down looking apartment. The floor was covered in dirty underwear and instant ramen noodle cups. The moonlight shined through the large, glass window besides me, giving my hair a purple hue.

'How the hell did I even get here?'

"Well, it looks like you're up."

My ears perked up at the voice and I looked at what was the dining room table. A boy around my age sat in a wooden chair, staring at me. The dude had sun kissed skin and spiky blonde hair that could challenge the color of the sun. He wore a white shirt with a weird bird symbol at the center, black trousers, and blue sandals. But the one thing that stood out the most was his eyes. They were a deep azure color, the whole ocean practically behind it. I just couldn't keep my eyes off of them.

"What are you staring at?" he questioned.

He brought me out of my thoughts and I looked away. After a good while, I looked back and glared at him. "Who are you?"

He gave off a radiant smile, one so contagious that it took all of my will power to not grin. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki."

I nodded and he leaned back into his chair. "So what happened? I found you in the middle of the training grounds, all beat up and bloody, so care to explain?"

I racked my brain for some kind of information. Nope, couldn't think of anything. "I don't know."

"Alright, do you know where you came from?" With no answer, he sighed and tried once more. "Well, do you at least have a place to stay?"

"No I don't think so," I replied. "I really don't remember anything!"

He nodded and gave a sympathetic look. "I wish there was something that I could do..."

I looked out the window, staring at the full moon. "It's okay Naruto. Wait how come you didn't take me to the hospital?"

He looked the other way and his bangs covered his eyes. "They won't allow me in there..."

I wanted to ask more questions, but seeing his dejected state, I decided against it.

"I never got to know your name. Do you think you can even remember it?" he questioned, breaking the silence.

I rubbed my temple and concentrated. "Akane...Mizu Akane I believe..."

"'Red dye water'?'" he questioned. "That's a weird name for a pretty girl like you."

I blushed at his compliment and looked away. "Thanks I guess..."

"But it sounds too long though!" he complained. "I'm just gonna call you Akane-chan!"

I gave a soft smile and nodded. "That's fine Naruto..."

It was quiet for a few minutes and then, I suddenly spoke up. "What am I going to do Naruto?"

He closed his eyes, as if in deep thought. "Uh...maybe I should go and talk to Oji-san about this..."

I cocked my head to the side, confused. "Who's Oji-san?"

He jerked his head back up to look up at me. "Oh Oji-san is just a nickname that I give to the Hokage. The guy is practically like a grandfather to me!"

I nodded and asked, "Alright, but what's a Hokage though?"

He looked at me like as if I was crazy or something. "You don't know what a Hokage is?" I shook my head and he gasped. "Oh my God, I need to introduce you to him!" Suddenly, his eyes brightened. "In fact, that's what we'll do!"

"What do you mean?"

"We'll go to the Hokage's office!" he shouted, pushing his chair back and heading towards the door. I followed and he handed me the shoes that I wore. I put them on and walked out with him. "Maybe he'll know what to do about your amnesia or whatever it's called."

"And if he can't?"

"Maybe he'll help you with where you can live at or something. I promise you that Oji-san will do everything he can to help you."

I nodded and looked into his eyes. 'I don't know how, but I know he's not lying.' "Okay then, let's go."

He smiled. "Well then we're off to the Hokage's office! Away we go!"

We exited his apartment and sprinted off into the night. As I followed the blonde, I couldn't help but feel something in my stomach. It was like as if there were butterflies in my stomach. It was a foreign feeling I think.

"Oh yeah!" he stopped in the middle of the street and fished something out of his pocket. Turned out to be a hat. I took it and put it on my head. "People will stare when they see a girl with wraps around her head."

I nodded and we continued sprinting.

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**That's the end of the prologue! Is this so much better than the original? Or is it just as worse? Review and tell me. Until next time my dear fanfiction readers/writers, Ja ne~**


	2. Chapter 1

**How's it going bros and bras? My name…is _VioletDemon_! I am back once again to write the next chapter of the Red the last chapter, Naruto found Akane in the middle of the training grounds, bleeding heavily and bruised. Once he took her back to his apartment and healed her injuries, the two went to speak to the Hokage about what to do next. So what happens now, my dear fanfiction readers/writers? Why this chapter of course! Be warned, this chapter is filled with memories of what the Hokage's actions are.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the Naruto cast. That right belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, who is an asshole because he still hasn't addressed the Hinata confession.**

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Chapter One: Diagnosis, Living Arrangements and A Sudden Memory

Two Weeks Later

'My name is Akane Mizu and I'm nine years old. God, why was I cursed with this stupid thing called _amnesia_?'

I thought as I strolled my way through the village, my red eyes staring up at the full moon. The time was around midnight and not a living soul was in sight, the occassional sound of wind hollering. 'I am _so_ totally breaking curfew. Should I be doing this? What if I get in trouble? But yet, I have this feeling that I'm missing something.'

After Naruto had brought me to the Hokage, the elderly leader brought me to the hospital to get my injuries checked out. I asked why when Naruto already helped me, but the man told me that Naruto wasn't that experienced, so I needed to see a real doctor. I glared at Naruto once I heard that and pouted. 'I thought he was an actual healer.'

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**(Flashback)**

_'Well it's official...I hate hospitals!'_

_My eyes focused outside the window, watching the locals pass by. I soon grew interested when I saw a boy around my age walking by himself, his head hung low. He had black hair that was shaped like a duck's butt and pale skin._

_I chuckled at his hair and shouted down below. "Hey! Hey you with the funny hair!"_

_The guy stopped and looked up. I gave a nice smile and waved at him. He only stared at me and turned around, walking away. I pouted and crossed my arms. 'Well ain't he a big meanie?'_

_I jumped when I heard knocking at the door. "Um...come in!" I watched as a man with a white coat enter the room, along with the Hokage._

_The man gave a simple smile. "Hello Mizu-san, how are you?"_

_"I-I'm fine, Dr..."_

_"Dr. Nakamura, Mizu-san."_

_I nodded and stayed silent. The Hokage focused his attention back to the doctor and asked, "Dr. Nakamura, can you tell us about Akane's condition?"_

_"Ah yes!" the young man looked at his clipboard and stared at his work. "Well Hokage-sama, according to our reports, it seems that Mizu-san has received minor damage to her hippocampus-"_

_"Hippowhatacus?" I questioned, being the confused seven year old I was supposed to be._

_The doctor looked at me, a little mad that I interrupted him, but resumed talking. "The hippocampus-it's the part of the brain where it keeps your memories and such, Mizu-san. Now back to what I was saying, even though there was so little damage to it, there wasn't enough evidence to show why she doesn't have any recollection on why she can't remember anything. We've tried everything we can, but we can't seem to find the source of her massive memory loss."_

_The Hokage only stared at the man as his eyes showed sadness. "So you can't do anything about it?"_

_Dr. Nakamura shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no." He then focused his attention back onto me. "Now Mizu-san, my advice for you is to stay for a little while, to make sure that nothing serious will happen. Alright?"_

_I nodded my head and the doctor smiled at my cooperation. "Alright then. I will see you later, Mizu-san and it was nice talking to you, Hokage-sama."_

_"Likewise," he replied. "See you soon, Akane." With that, the two men left the room, leaving me all alone again._

**(End of Flashback)**

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I stayed in the hospital for about two weeks soon after. Stare out the window, nice ladies come in to see me, Dr. Nakamura checking the condition of my head, and the same routine happens. I never knew that hospitals could be so boring, but yet I should've known. I mean...wait, what was I going to say? Forget it, never mind!

Once the two weeks were out, the Hokage came back to pick me up and I was soon released. Once a few arrangements were made, I was now staying in a nice place filled with other kids. It wasn't that bad, but truth be told, I told the Hokage that I'd rather live with Naruto instead. He was really funny and was always making me laugh. But sadly, the Hokage said that it would be weird having two children, one girl and one boy, sleeping in the same place. I shrugged and said that I didn't care, thinking that being with Naruto would be better. The Hokage sighed at this and just continued walking.

* * *

**(Flashback)**

_I stared at the building in front of me and squeezed my grip on 'Jiji's' hand. "Do I really have to live here?"_

_"I'm afraid so Akane," he answered. "Until I can find something better, this will just have to do."_

_It was a two story building that was completely made out of wood. It had a couple of windows and I heard kids playing in the backyard. The sign said 'Konoha Orphanage' in the front._

_I sadly nodded at this until I remembered something. "Oh yeah, where's Naruto?"_

_"He's living somewhere else."_

_I put up a pouty face. "Ah that's not fair! Does that mean me and Naruto aren't going to see each other?"_

_He gave a smile. "Maybe you will. I'm not sure, but I believe that you two will see each other more often."_

_I suddenly cheered up and jumped up and down. "Yeah! When? WHEN?!"_

_The elderly leader shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "It's a secret!"_

_I crossed my arms and looked the other way. "Big meanie..."_

_He laughed at my childness and patted my head. It was a tender moment, something I would never forget._

**(End of Flashback)**

* * *

The nice lady owning the place gave me a nice room, saying that I was sharing my room with two other people. I realized that those two were also orphans like me (or at least I think that I'm an orphan), their names Miyuki and Rei.

I kept walking and soon found myself on the same training grounds where Naruto found me. I walked around the clearing when I saw a flicker of light from the corner of my eye. Curious, I turned and sprinted to find the source. I stopped a few inches ahead and bent down.

Two large knives lied on the floor, sparkling under the moonlight. Then, without warning, I grasped my head in pain as my vision turned white.

* * *

**(Flashback)**

_The sound of birds chirping echoed through my ears as I stood in the middle of a clearing in the forest. My target: two wooden dummies right in front of me. I took my battle stance and with the flick of my wrist, I threw the two knives. It flew by so quickly, like as if a blur. I then heard the satisfying thud once it came in contact with the statues of wood._

_One knife hit square between the eyes while the other had just barely missed the heart._

_I frowned and walked forward, yanking the knives out. "I missed again..." Suddenly frustrated and in a swift motion, sliced the dummy's head off. It fell with a thud and I stared blankly at it. Then, I walked away._

**(End of Flashback)**

* * *

The short memory ended there and I was brought back to the real world. I stood back up and stared at the cool metals in my hands. 'These…these are mine?'

I stood up and turned to look at the stumps a few feet away from me. With the flick of my wrist, I threw one of the knives and stared in amazement as it hit squarely in the center. I rushed forward and yanked the weapons out of the bark.

I grinned. 'This is awesome. I AM AWESOME! This-' I suddenly stopped and stared off into space. 'Wait...was I really that violent?'

I shrugged my shoulders and soon left the clearing, back to the orphanage. By the time I got back, I got into bed and silently said goodnight to my roommates, my knives right underneath my pillow.

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**And that's a wrap folks! That's the first and official chapter of The Red Mystery! Hoped you liked it and will review/favorite/follow and until next time my dear fanfiction readers/writers, I will see YOU...in the next chapter. Ja ne~**

**P.S- You don't think kids can be that violent? Bitch, have you watched Law and Order: SVU? They've shown some crazy ass kids killing other kids! So don't question my OC's sanity.**


	3. Chapter 2

**How's it going bros and bras? My name...is ****_VioletDemon_****! I am back once again to write the next chapter of The Red Mystery. So in the last episode, Akane went roaming off the village and goes back to the clearing where Naruto found her. She finds two knives (which are Butterfly Knives, but she didn't know that) and has a sudden memory that she is very skillful with them. What happens now my dear friends? Why this chapter of course!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. I only own my OC, Akane Mizu.**

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Chapter Two: First Day at the Academy

I stood alongside with a man that wore a cat mask in front of a large wooden building. It was a place called the Academy, where kids learn to become awesome ninja. After my memory of those knives had resurfaced, I had the sudden urge to learn how to use them in a fight. I told the Hokage about this and he said if I wanted to know, I would have to attend something called the Academy. I agreed to it in a heart beat, saying I'll do whatever I can to make _some_ of my memories come back.

Stupid nine year old me...

I gazed up to see a look of assurance in the man, only to realize that he was gone. Saddened, I gained a sudden interest in my feet and stood there. None of the kids noticed me I think; too busy hanging out with their friends to talk to the new kid.

"Akane-chan!"

I looked up and smiled to see Naruto Uzumaki walking towards me. He wore the same outfit the day he found me, but except with black trousers. I had myself a new attire; because of my clothes being torn apart, one of the nice nurses went out of their way to get me a new outfit. Now, I wore a light long sleeved black and red shirt with black pants and black shoes.

"I like your outfit!" the blonde said enthusiastically. I thanked him and wanted to talk some more, but the bell rang. Naruto grabbed my hand and dragged into the building. "Come on we don't want to be late for your first day here!"

I nodded in agreement and soon picked up the pace. 'Why do I have a sudden feeling that I won't like it here?'

* * *

"Class it seems that we have a new student. Why don't you introduce yourself honey?"

My entire body was shaking and I gazed up to my teacher, Umino Iruka. "W-What am I supposed to say?"

He gave a smile that seemed to calm me down for a bit. "Well say your name, tell us your likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future. Is that okay for you?"

I nodded and inwardly smile at his sign of concern. 'I'm starting to like him already.'

I focused my attention to all the kids in front of me and felt the nervous wreck that I was earlier come back. I gulped and did the best that I could to stay calm. "M-My name is...is Mizu Akane. My likes are Naruto-kun..." He gave a gigantic wave towards me and I gave one back. "And um...drawing. My dislikes are waiting...the color green, reminds me of puke, and...not remembering important stuff."

"Like what?" one student asked.

I grew even more uncomfortable as my mind began racing. Nobody knew of my suppressed memories, so what should I say? 'Like the fact that I can't remember anything about myself other than my name. Any other questions?' No, that would sound stupid.

"Like where I put my sketchbook when I just had it two minutes ago."

The class chuckled at this and I smiled. 'Seems they bought it.' "My hobbies are hanging out with Naruto-kun, drawing, and watching the sunset. My dreams for the future...well, is to be the best kunoichi that I can be!"

Everyone nodded at this and Iruka patted me on the shoulder. "Great job Akane. Now go on and take a seat."

I nodded and scanned the room for an open spot. The only one I could see was one near a blonde girl that had her hair up in a ponytail. I sat next to her and Iruka-sensei took this as a way to begin class.

During one of his lectures, the girl sitting next to me tapped on my shoulder. I turned and she gave a vibrant smile. "Hi!"

I smiled. "Hey..."

"My name's Yamanaka Ino," she stated. "It's nice to meet you Akane-chan!"

It felt weird for someone else to call me by that nickname, but I ignored it. "It's nice to meet you too, Ino-san."

We stopped talking after that for a little while as I tried to listen to Iruka-sensei's teaching. Then, Ino tapped me on the shoulder again and whispered in my ear. "I can't help but notice on how you seem to like hanging out with that baka, Naruto."

I frowned at this. "Baka?"

"Yeah, you don't know this, but Naruto is the class clown. He never takes his work seriously and does nothing but goof off. He's the dead last and nobody expects him to pass. You should stop hanging out with him and should hang out with me instead. You should also like this guy named Uchiha Sasuke, but remember, he's MINE!"

As she kept talking, I felt myself shake with rage. How dare she talk about Naruto like that? So what if he wasn't the best in the classroom? That didn't make any difference! Naruto was the nicest and sweetest guy I know! Well, he's the only guy that I know because I'm too shy to talk to anyone else, but that's beside the point!

I motioned her forward and whispered in a monotone voice, "Ino-san, aside from that, exactly how much do you know about Naruto-kun?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing I guess."

"Exactly so why say so many bad things about him if _really_ you don't know anything about him?" She was about to retaliate, but I stopped her to it. "Yamanaka-san, do yourself a favor and stop talking to me."

With that, I focused my attention back to the board. As I took my notes, I could practically feel the anger radiating off of the girl.

* * *

Iruka-sensei had brought everyone into the training field and broke us up between boys and girls. He had lined us up and made us stand in front of trees with circles that had smaller circles in them.

I tapped one girl's shoulder. "Uh what are those?"

The girl looked at me like as if I was stupid and answered, "Those are the targets. You see the little black circle in the middle?" I nodded and she continued. "That's called the bulls eye. What you're supposed to do is to try and hit it. Understand?"

I nodded, but I didn't like on how she was talking to me. It sounded like as if she was talking to an idiot. Well she's the idiot because she has stupid pink hair. I hate pink!

"Okay, you will be given 5 kunai and 5 shuriken. I want you to throw them at the targets." Iruka said.

The boys went first. A kid with black hair shaped like a pineapple simply threw them, not caring where they hit and went to take a nap under a tree. A chubby kid hit the target with 3 of his kunai and 2 of his shuriken. Another boy that wore a hood and black glasses was able to hit the bull's eye with 1 kunai while the others landed close, and hit the target with all of his shuriken. A boy with a dog in his jacket did the same as the chubby kid and soon another kid stepped up, much to the joy of every female except me and some other girl with lavender eyes.

'This must be that guy Yamanaka-san was talking about,' I thought. 'Wait a minute, that looks like the kid I saw at the hospital! I didn't know he went here! So weird...'

Sasuke took his position and took out his weapons. He threw all of the kunai and shuriken at the same time and hit the bull's eye with all five of the kunai and four of the shuriken. Every girl, again except for the exception of me and lavender eyes, cheered for him. The guys in the meanwhile groaned and threw hateful glares at him.

"Good job Sasuke, a near perfect score. Naruto it's your turn now." Iruka informed.

I heard everyone snicker at this and I frowned. 'Naruto doesn't suck that bad does he?'

Naruto stepped into position. "Try to actually hit something this time, dobe." Sasuke said as he passed Naruto. Said person quickly grew anger and spouted something about how he was gonna hit nothing but bulls eye. Naruto picked up all the kunai and shuriken and quickly threw them.

Everyone laughed once they realized that only two of the kunai and one of the shuriken hit the target while the rest landed on the ground. He mumbled angrily underneath his breath as he walked away. I tried to give words of reassurance, but I don't believe he heard me.

Then came the girls turn...

The pink haired girl went first and was able to hit the target with three of her kunai and 2 of her shuriken.

"How did I do Sasuke-kun?" She asked. Sasuke for his part simply ignored her.

Next up was the lavender eyed girl, who looked like as if she was shaking. Feeling bad about it, I shouted, "Go for it girl! We know you can do it!"

That seemed to calm her down as she threw her kunai and shuriken. Three of her kunai hit the target with one hitting the bull's eye. Four of her shuriken hit the target, though none hit the bull's eye. The class clapped as she walked away and stood back with the rest of us.

"Great job Hinata!" my sensei then looked at me. "It's your turn now Akane."

'Oh man!' I slowly marched forward and took the weapons Iruka gave me. I uncertainly took position and with the flick of my wrist, threw the weapons. I heard everyone gasp behind me as I hit the bulls eye with four of the kunai and four of the shuriken.

"Great job Akane-chan!" Naruto shouted behind me.

I gave him a smile and Iruka patted me on the back. "Great job Akane, you have the highest score of the girls and Sasuke has the highest score of the boys. Alright, let's go to the obstacle course."

While everyone followed Iruka, I walked forward to the girl named Hinata. "Hi there."

She jumped and blushed. "H-Hi..."

"You might already know this, but my name is Mizu Akane. What's yours?"

"H-Hinata H-Hyuga..." Silence seemed to fill our conversation until Hinata decided to break it. "Y-You did a r-r-really great job back there."

"Thanks," I responded. "I believe that I didn't do as good as everybody thinks I did. Besides, that was just pure luck. You probably would've had the highest score if I wasn't so lucky."

The more we kept talking, the more natural it was for us. During the obstacle course, I pulled her aside and gave a huge smile. "I think that we will become great friends."

She nodded at this and I took her hand, intertwining our fingers. She blushed again and we walked back to the rest of the class, smiles engulfing our faces.

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**That's the end of Chapter Two! I hoped you guys enjoyed this and will review/favorite/follow. Even though I haven't had any reviews, I still like writing this story. So until next time, I will see YOU...in the next chapter. Ja ne~**


	4. Chapter 3

**How's it going bros and bras? My name...is ****_VioletDemon!_**** I am back once again to write the next chapter of The Red Mystery. I am so happy to see that I have gotten some reviews for this story! That makes me happy you guys! Alright, since I've gotten Akane going to the Academy for the first time part down, I'm just gonna fast forward the story to like three years later, where the main plot begins. It's what you've been waiting for guys! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. I only own my awesome OC, Akane Mizu.**

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Chapter Three: Three Long Years Later

'Ah the dreaded graduation exams. Watch me fail Iruka-sensei! For the second time in a row...'

My twelve year old self thought as I sat in my seat next to Hinata-hime. Who knew three years could go by so quickly? Being in this hellhole called the Academy has certainly changed me quite a bit. The one that has changed the most was my vocabulary; being older, I speak more intelligently I guess. But being around Naruto for so long has sort of caused me to start using foul language, but ONLY WHEN I GET MAD THOUGH! I don't use it like an ignorant person would.

Sakura and her ex-best friend, Ino, constantly get on my nerves with their stupid shouting about who does or doesn't get _Sasuke-kun. _I wish I could just strangle them now, but I don't wanna go to jail. I'm too skinny for jail man!

"A-Are you alright Akane-chan?" Hinata asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Y-You l-look upset."

Noticing her concern, I smiled and grabbed her hand, intertwining our fingers. "I'm fine Hinata-hime. You have nothing to worry about!"

She seemed to believe me as she returned her attention back to staring at Naruto. She had told me of her crush on the boy, but being Naruto, he was too oblivious to notice. Feeling bored, I took out my sketchbook from underneath the desk and began drawing. Ever since I 'moved here,' the Third Hokage had always bought me a sketchbook to ease my boredom whenever the doctors checked my head.

'It's been three long years and yet, the doctors can't do anything about my memory loss. Did somebody place some kind of memory jutsu on me? Stupid doctors can't come up with anything!'

I was once again brought out of my thoughts when Hinata tapped on my shoulder. I looked at her and she pointed to the front of the classroom. I gazed forward to see that Iruka had just stepped into the room, a clipboard in his hands. I sighed and rubbed my temple; that damn graduation exam. If I take this again, I'm gonna be dropped out of the Academy because I can't do a simple clone jutsu.

"As you all know, today is the day you attempt to graduate and become ninjas that will protect and serve the Leaf Village. In order to pass, you all must perform the 'Clone Jutsu.' Once I call your name, please head over to the next room."

I saw Naruto slam his head down on his desk and I sighed. Like me but worse, the 'Clone Technique' was one of Naruto's weakest jutsus, if not any others. I reacted the same way he did, except in a different fashion.

Silently, I latched onto Hinata's arm and cried anime tears. "Hinata-hime, this is bad! I might fail again! And by the way Naruto-kun's reacting, he might fail too!"

"HEY!" he shouted, interrupting our conversation. "I'm gonna pass this time no matter what! Dattebayo!"

Hinata and I smiled at him; Naruto never ceased to amaze me. After our little moment, Iruka had begun calling the names of the people coming first. I sighed as I watched Shino Aburame, the creepy dude that is literally a bug infestation, left the room.

"Here comes the testing..."

* * *

This stupid procedure had went on slowly for the rest of the school day. The class took an hour break before going back to their seats and we waited for our names to be called one by one. I was dozing off for the most part, my arms covering my head. I felt someone shake me and I groaned, ignoring the person.

"Hey get up Akane-chan, you're next," was the sound of a familiar voice.

I groaned in frustration as I fluttered my eyes open, my vision blurry before clearing up. I looked up and smiled to see Naruto standing above me.

"Hey Naruto, did you go yet?" I asked, my voice groggy.

He laughed and shook his head. "No Akane, don't you remember? We're going in alphabetical order. Kiba just went so you're next."

"Oh yeah..." I stood up and stretched, hearing the satisfying crack in my back. "Pray to God that I actually pass for once?"

"I pray to Kami, but I'll try," was his response.

With that, I walked down the stairs and left the classroom. In the other room, it was mostly empty except for a desk that Iruka and his companion, Mizuki, were sitting at. On the desk top were an assortment of headbands, some in shades of red, but mostly were blue.

"Alright Akane, you may perform the 'Clone Technique,'" Iruka said.

I knew I was gonna fail, so I didn't show any emotion as I made the necessary hand signs. "Yes sir...Clone Technique!"

A poof of smoke engulfed the room as a moment of tension entered the area. Once it cleared away, I opened my eyes and looked to my left. I only sighed in disappointment as so did my teachers. Standing next to me was two white, dead-looking clones.

Iruka gave me a sad look as he broke the news to me. "I'm sorry Akane, but you failed. Try again next year."

I nodded numbly as I walked my way out the room. As I left, I could feel one of their eyes staring at me.

* * *

Naruto sat on a swing that was mounted on a low branch of an old tree, his eyes never leaving the ground. I sat on top of that branch, my back against the tree, listening to my IPod, something that I bought on my own. The two of us watched from afar as kids were being praised by their parents for a job well done. Not one person even bothered to give us any sympathy whatsoever.

'But who cares though?'

After a little while, I've learned to stop caring about how the village thought of me and Naruto. Once the village knew of my association with Naruto, they didn't want anything to do with me. I can understand Naruto's desire to become Hokage, but I don't like his reasoning behind it. If the village doesn't respect him now, how does becoming Hokage change that?

I looked up and took out one earbud, only to sneer in disgust. Two women were eyeing hatefully at my friend, whispering to one another. "You got something to say, you ugly ass whores?!"

This sent the women running away and I laughed in victory. Suddenly, a noise alerted the two of us; standing next to Naruto was Mizuki-sensei. He smiled at him, me staring at him in suspicion as he motioned us forward. Naruto got off the swing while I jumped down from the branch. 'What could he possibly want?'

"Look, Iruka cares for the both of you. He just wants you to take the right path and get strong the true way," the white head told us. "You three are the same, no parents to look out for you and no friends. Just try to understand Iruka's feelings guys."

'Hinata's our friend, so I don't understand what he's talking about?'

"Yeah but still..." Naruto started off.

"We wanted to graduate," I finished for him, putting up a sad face. I liked making faces; helps deceiving the enemy, you know.

Mizuki looked at us before chuckling, catching our attention. "Well if you two are so headstrong about it, I know a little shortcut that can help you."

Naruto gasp while I only stared blankly at the man. Being the good observer that I was, I caught a glint of mischievousness in Mizuki's eyes. The dude was up to something, I just knew it.

"Akane?" I jumped and faced Naruto. "Are you in?"

Regaining my composure, I shrugged. "Sure why not? But you don't have to sound like you're about to commit a crime, you know?"

Mizuki smiled, but again it looked devious. "Alright, here's what you have to do..."

* * *

Sneaking in and stealing the scroll wasn't as hard as I had anticipated. Naruto and I were sitting in the clearing Mizuki had instructed to come to with the scroll on the ground in front of us. I decided to take a look inside the scroll and surprisingly, found some pretty awesome jutsus.

"'Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?'" I questioned. "Hey Naruto, this sounds like the 'Clone Technique,' but way more awesome. Wanna try it out?"

"Hell yeah!" was his reply. "With this, we sure as hell can pass!"

With that, the two of us got to work. Once I began, I realized that this was _way_ better than any of the jutsus the Academy ever taught us. It said that we could probably make hundreds of shadow clones, but being in the scrolls, this is a kinjutsu. Something about how our chakra is evenly distributed to each and every clone, possibly endangering the user.

'Does it matter? The more jutsus, the better!'

After about half an hour of practicing, I could do it without falling on my ass in exhaustion. I was about to look up another technique when we heard rustling from the bushes. I grew on the offensive side and whipped out one of my Butterfly Knives. The rustling grew louder until out came Iruka-sensei, an obvious sign of anger yet concern on his face.

"Naruto? Akane? What do you guys think you're doing, stealing the forbidden scroll?"

Naruto groaned in frustration as he held the scroll. "Aw man Iruka-sensei! We only had time to learn one jutsu. Oh well, do we pass now Iruka?"

"What? Who told you that?" Iruka stared at Naruto oddly.

"Mizuki-sensei told us," I answered for him. "He said that if we could master one jutsu from this scroll, we could graduate."

"Why would Mizuki tell you-?"

"Iruka, I'm surprised you made it here before me. No matter, I'll just kill you both." Mizuki stepped out onto a tree branch and launched a large, four pointed shuriken at Naruto. However, Iruka jumped in front of the blow before it could land and deflected it with his kunai.

"Run Naruto and Akane, take the scroll and go back to the village!" Iruka called out.

"Don't you guys; he's just lying to you. He just wants you to help him. He thinks badly of you just like the other villagers."

"That's not true," Iruka answered, but we had already taken off running. I heard the two teachers chasing us and I sprinted faster, jumping over a thick log. I looked over to my right to see Naruto stumbling while carrying the scroll, sweat covering his forehead. A brief time later, we took refuge against the trunk of a tree, out of sight.

I believed we were safe in the meanwhile until I heard that dreaded voice. "Oh there you are, you little demon brats!"

I grabbed Naruto's hand and quickly backed us away, my knife never leaving me. Iruka suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of us, a kunai in his hands. Mizuki saw this and reached behind his back, pulling out a large shuriken.

Mizuki smiled. "Naruto, do you know why everyone hates you? Why everyone shuns you and isolate you?"

Iruka could see where this was going and shouted, "Stop Mizuki! It's forbidden!"

"Shut up Iruka! The decree is that no one is allowed to tell you Naruto that the Nine-Tail Fox lives inside you! You are the Nine-Tailed Fox! And the reason as to why everyone hates Akane is because of you!"

I immediately froze up, like Naruto. 'Naruto is the Nine-Tailed Fox? No way...That's not true...'

The pieces where started to connect. The glares, the disrespect, the shunning, everything; all of that happened because Naruto was the Nine-Tailed Fox and people considered me one because of it...

Anger soon engulfed me as I stood up and shouted, "So what if Naruto is the Nine-Tailed Fox? That doesn't change the awesome and caring person that he is! The only demon here is you Mizuki, harming innocent children!" With new found confidence, Naruto and I both shouted, "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Smoke engulfed the area and once it cleared, at least hundreds of Naruto and my clones filled the area. Before the traitor could even retaliate, the two of us jumped him and beat the living hell out him. After awhile, Mizuki was left bloody, bruised, and in an unconscious manner. I smiled and high-fived Naruto, cheering in victory.

"Naruto...I have something that I want to show you," Iruka said. Naruto's eyes widened and motioned forward. "You have to close your eyes in order to get it, though."

Naruto did so without question and I gasped in excitement when Iruka tied a blue headband around his head. "Ok Naruto, you can open your eyes now."

Naruto did and once he saw the headband, he pounced on our sensei. The girly haired teacher smiled and then looked over at me. "Akane, would it be alright with you if I gave you your headband tomorrow morning?"

I nodded and hummed to myself. 'Finally...we're genin!'

* * *

**And that's a wrap! Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did and will review/favorite/follow this story. So until next time, I will see YOU...in the next chapter. Ja ne~**


	5. Chapter 4

**How's it going bros and bras? My name...is VioletDemon! I am back once again to write the next chapter of The Red Mystery. So in the last episode, Akane and Naruto both failed the graduation exams, but Mizuki offered them a 'retest.' They stole the forbidden scroll, only to realize that the retest was a way for Mizuki to betray the Leaf. Akane and Naruto both mastered the Multi Shadow Clone Technique and beat the crap out of him, Naruto and Akane passing because of it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. I only own my awesome OC, Akane Mizu.**

* * *

Chapter Four: Team Placements

Today is the day! Today is the day where I will be placed onto teams. Pray to God that I won't be placed onto _Sasuke-kun's_ team. Ugh, that would be a horrible nightmare.

"So you're finally a genin now, huh?" asked one of my roommates, Miyuki Kurohagi. "I'm happy for you girl!"

I giggled as she rushed forward and gave my skinny body a hug. Miyuki was a kind soul that had lived in the orphanage for as long as she could remember. I don't understand how nobody could want her. She is very pretty; she had hip length carrot orange hair, bright amber eyes, and fair skin. She was fifteen, so she had a job working at the bakery. Because of that, Miyuki always wore the nicest clothes and wore some nice jewelry.

"Thanks," I said, tying the headband around my neck like jewelry. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that..."

"Well you don't sound happy," she said, sitting on the bottom bunk bed. She offered a seat next to her and I took it. "Is something on your mind?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Team placements are today and I'm worried if I'll be placed with that stupid arrogant prick, Sasuke Uchiha." Seeing the hearts in her eyes, I sneered and continued speaking before she could go all fan girl on me. "I don't care how hot you think he is, he's arrogant and has a stick up his ass. I don't understand how you girls love him so much."

"What's not to love?" she questioned. "He's hot, he's mysterious, he's hot-"

"He's a whiny bitch!" I interrupted her. "Naruto doesn't have any family and the village hates him, but yet his mindset is alright. All Sasuke does is mope around, saying how he's gonna kill his older brother. Too bitchy for me..."

"Different people react to this kind of situation. Yeah sure, Naruto is all fine and dandy, but yet Sasuke is a totally different person. You can't blame him for reacting differently."

I nodded at this and looked over to the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand, only to gasp in surprise. It was fucking 8:50; I've got ten minutes to get to the Academy!

"Crap!" I grabbed my red shoes and put them on. "I got to go! I'll see you later!"

"Bye!" she shouted as I rushed out the door. "Say hi to Sasuke-kun for me!"

I groaned in response and soon sprinted out the wooden building onto the streets.

I seemed to have made it in time to see Naruto about to be pummeled by practically all the fan girls in the classroom, aside from Hinata-hime. I grew angry at this and sprinted forward, blocking them to Naruto's path.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?!" I hated when they ganged up on Naruto for not even doing anything wrong.

Sakura was the first to answer. "Naruto-baka kissed Sasuke-kun!"

I raised an eyebrow at this and turned to look at Naruto. "Wait, you swing that way Naruto?"

He gave me a what-the-fuck look. "What no!"

I sighed at this and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to admit it Naruto. There's nothing to be embarrassed about being gay. It's not like as if Hinata-hime and I are going to judge you."

He could only just stare at me like as if something was wrong with my brain and I laughed. I had to clutch my stomach in pain as I wiped away the tears that were forming.

"Akane?" I stopped laughing and turned to face Sakura. "What are you wearing?"

I looked down and stared at the new outfit. I wore a short sleeved black and red shirt that exposed my bare stomach, black and red shirt with the sides cut off, mid thigh tight black tights, and knee length black boots, my Butterfly Knives attached to them. For awesome accessories, I had red elbow protectors and fishnet that covered my right knee.

"It's my new outfit, what about it?"

Ino sneered, making her pretty face look even more ugly. "It doesn't matter, Sasuke-kun will never like you!"

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at said person. "Sasuke do you like any of these girls right here?"

Surprisingly, he shook his head and his annoying fan girls cried tears of sadness. I giggled at this and also asked, "Sasuke, do you like me?"

He then went back to being the silent, moody guy that he was and didn't look at me. I took that as a sign as a yes, but didn't say anything about it. Satisfied, I took my seat next to Hinata-hime and gave a smile. "And how was your morning Hinata-hime?"

She blushed and poked her index fingers together. "A-Alright I guess."

I giggled and pinched both of her cheeks, trying to understand her cuteness. That was what Hinata-hime and I did for the rest of the beginning before class.

* * *

"Before we begin, I want to congratulate you all for passing. Starting today, you are all real shinobi...But you are still Genin, so the hard journey that lies ahead has just started. Now you will soon get missions to help the village. So today, we will create the three-man teams with each of their own Jounin-sensei."

The class was fully into the conversation and I could to tell that he was enjoying it. "Now we tried to balance the teams by strength, however since there are an off number of you, a total of 28, one team will have four instead of three. And since you all graduated from this class, you can only be paired with your classmates."

"WHAT?!" was everyone's-excluding Hinata, Sasuke, and I-response.

"I've never heard of a four man team!"

"This is so unfair!"

"SHUT UP!" Iruka snapped. "Now...I will be calling the names for each team. Team One will be..."

While he did this, I listened and wrote down the lyrics to the song 'Burn it Down' by the band, Avenged Sevenfold.

"W-What are you g-gonna do if one of us get on Naruto-kun's team?" I heard Hinata question.

I shrugged my shoulders and paused my music. "If there's a slim chance that either one of us is on his team, then we have to be happy for said person. We can't get jealous at that person."

She nodded at this and I smiled. "Team Seven will be Naruto Uzumaki..."

Our ears perked up once our friend's name was called. We both crossed our fingers as we prayed that least of one of us gets on Team Seven.

"Haruno Sakura..."

I groaned in frustration as I heard Naruto cheer while Sakura banged her head against the desk. Why was it that Naruto had to have a crush on the one girl that was a banshee? Chick always sounds like she's screaming at you or something...

"Uchiha Sasuke..."

It was Sakura's turn to cheer while Naruto cried out in despair. "And Team Seven's fourth member will be..."

Why was he making this so suspenseful? God, it's driving us crazy! I began to pray even harder than before. 'Dear God, please let Hinata-hime be on Team Seven. She deserves it!'

"Mizu Akane..."

I opened my fingers and I looked at Hinata. Even though she was upset about it, the girl still smiled at me. I grasped her hands and placed my forehead against hers. "Don't worry Hinata. I'll make sure that Naruto is okay. If that Sakura chick even so much as punches him, I will beat her ass. Alright?"

"Y-You don't h-have to resort to violence Akane!" she whispered/hollered. I gave a genuine laugh and ruffled her hair.

Naruto took this as a chance to stand up. "Iruka-sensei! Why do outstanding shinobi like Akane-chan and I have to be on the same team as Teme?!"

I knew I should've kept my mouth shut, but of course, my mouth had a mind of its own. "I'm sorry Iruka-sensei, but I agree. I know that my grades weren't the best, but I don't think that being paired up with Uchiha-san and Haruno-san is a good idea. Hinata-hime should be on Team Seven, not me."

I knew Hinata was staring at me like I was crazy, but I ignored it. Iruka sighed and rubbed his template. "I'm sorry Akane, but I can't change it. Now Naruto, while Sasuke had the highest grades out of twenty eight students, yours were dead last. As for you Akane, I don't know why, but the Hokage specifically said for you to be on Team Seven."

I nodded at this and sat back down. 'Can't go against the judgment of Hokage-sama then...'

Our teacher continued calling out the names for each team. Team 8 was Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. I stared at the two above me; while I wasn't worried about Shino being rude to Hinata, it was Kiba that pissed me off to no end. So I did what any best friend would; I grabbed his collar and pulled him down to my eye level. "Hurt Hinata-hime and I'll kill your damn dog in front of you, then you. Understand?"

He nodded fearfully and pushed him back to his seat. Team 9 was still active (I've been known that, but I'm not gonna say anything) so Team Ten was Ino Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji.

"Alright, you will meet your Jounin instructor this afternoon, until then take a break," Iruka announced.

Everyone soon rushed out of the classroom. along with me dragging Hinata out of the room. Once we got outside, we saw how Sakura didn't waste a moment to ask Sasuke out.

"Hey Sasuke, since we're in the same team, how about we eat our lunches together. You now so we can get to know each other," she offered.

"No," Sasuke said coldly walking in the opposite direction. Sakura slumped in disappointment as a cloud of depression covered her head. I restrained the urge to laugh at her being rejected; what else did she expect him to say?

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto came up behind Sakura and she turned towards him with a creepy blank look on her face. "Well, I was thinking since we're on the same team, we can go get to know each other while having lunch together. So what do you say?"

She snarled and said, "Naruto, you are so annoying..." With that, she also walked in the other direction.

Hinata saw his dejected figure and rushed to his side, but I stopped her. "Hinata, if you ask him the same question, he's gonna turn you down and say how he's gonna get _Sakura-chan's_ affection. So just leave him alone and let's go to the new bakery in town. Come on!"

With some reluctance, she agreed and we sprinted our way into the heart of the Leaf Village.

* * *

**AAAAAANNNNNNDDD SCENE! That's the fourth chapter of The Red Mystery. Hope you enjoyed it and will leave a review/favorite/follow if you like this story. So until next time, I will SEE YOU...in the next chapter. Ja ne~**


	6. Chapter 5

**How's it going bros and bras? My name...is ****_VioletDemon!_**** I am back once again to write another chapter of the slowly developing Naruto fanfic, The Red Mystery. So in the last episode, Akane is put on Team Seven, along with her best friend, Naruto Uzumaki. So what happens now, my fanfiction readers/writers? Why this awesome chapter of course! Well, not awesome, but good enough I guess. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto or Naruto Shippuden series. That right only belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, who I think is still an asshole because he hasn't addressed the Hinata confession yet!**

* * *

Chapter Five: I Hate My Scarecrow Sensei

I should tell my new sensei that I have low patience.

The newly formed Team 7 and I were the only ones in the classroom, our classmates long gone. Sasuke sat at a desk near the exit, staring off into space. Sakura stood a couple of inches away from him, bombarding him with date proposals, in which he ignored her. Naruto kept poking his head out the door, searching for our teacher. I, in the meanwhile, sat at a desk near the window, listening to 'Whispers in the Dark' by Skillet. I was drifting off into the music, feeling myself to be light as a feather.

'Thank God for my music or else my ears would bleed from banshee's screams. Wait, I can still hear her, maybe I should turn up the music-'

"Hello?! Akane?!"

I jumped and opened my eyes, pausing my music. Naruto stared at me from near the door, a frown plastering his _adorable little face._ I took one ear bud out and replied, "What?"

"I asked if you know where our sensei is?"

I shook my head and put my feet on the desk, hands behind my head. "I have no idea Naruto. If we just wait a little longer, we can all chew him out when he gets here."

He shook his head and moved to the chalkboard, grabbing the eraser. "Chewing him out ain't gonna help..." The guy then grabbed a mini ladder and jammed an eraser into the sliding doorway.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted. "You're gonna get us in trouble!"

"This is what he gets for being late, Sakura-chan!" my best friend/brother shouted.

I nodded at this while the Uchiha brat scoffed as he barely spared a glance at Naruto. "This is a Jounin we're talking about here. Do you actually think he will fall for that?"

**PH-LAF!**

The one eyed shinobi stood in mid step with his already silvery white head covered in chalk. "HAHAHA! GOTCHA WITH A GOOD ONE!" Naruto pointed at his new teacher, laughing. Truth be told, it wasn't all that funny, but I didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry sensei," Sakura apologized. "I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen. I would never do something like that."

'Not gonna believe that for a second...'

Rubbing his covered chin thoughtfully, the masked Jounin smiled behind his mask. "How should I put this? Based on my first impression, I'd have to say... I hate you all."

Naruto and our other two teammates only seemed affected by his statement. I only stared blankly at the man, my arms folded against my chest. "Don't mean to sound rude, but I don't really care what you think of me."

The Jounin threw a disapproving glare in my direction, but I paid no mind to it. "Alright team, meet me on the roof in five."

The guy then disappeared in a poof of smoke and I rolled my eyes. Before anyone could question my response to our teacher, I was the first one out the classroom.

* * *

The four of us sat on the concrete steps, me a few inches away from Naruto. Sasuke was on the far left, away from everyone else while Sakura took the seat in the middle. What's-his-face leaned against the railing, reading some orange book.

"Alright, how about we start with introductions?" he offered.

"Well what are we suppose to say?" I asked, gazing as the birds flew by.

"Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies. Things like that," he said in a lazy manner.

"Why don't you start sensei?" Sakura questioned.

He shrugged for his response and closed his book. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and hate...I don't feel like telling you..."

I frowned, a slight twitch in my eyebrow. 'My patience with this dude is running thin.'

"My dreams for the future...haven't really thought about it. As for hobbies, well I have many hobbies."

I glanced at Naruto while he whispered, "Well that was a waste of time. All he told us was his name."

I nodded in agreement and Kakashi pointed his finger at the pink haired banshee. "You first Bubblegum."

She seemed offended by the nickname, but began her introduction. "My name is Haruno Sakura. What I like is...I mean; the person that I like is..." Pink blush dusted up on her cheeks as she stared at Sasuke. "My dream for the future is-" She used her fists to cover up the blush that was steadily increasing. "My hobbies are..." She squealed in delight as the girl couldn't hold it in anymore.

Kakashi sighed and asked, "Well, what do you hate then?"

"I hate Ino-pig, Naruto, and Akane!"

I patted Naruto's back in comfort while he cried tears of sadness. Kakashi nodded at this and pointed to Naruto. "You go next Blondie."

"Dattebayo!" he exclaimed with his favorite catchphrase, quickly getting over his sadness. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! My likes are Akane-chan, Hinata-chan, miso ramen and the ramen Iruka-sensei paid for at Ichiraku Ramen Shop. I hate Sasuke-teme, the time it takes instant ramen to heat up, and people who take things for granted. My hobbies are pulling pranks, comparing different kinds of ramen, and training. My dream for the future is to become the greatest Hokage to ever live, surpassing all those before me!"

"Alright, you're next Emo King," Kakashi said, giving a one-eyed smile.

Said person glared at our sensei. "My name...is Uchiha Sasuke. I hate everything while I particularly don't like anything. My hobbies are training and I don't have a dream because I will make it a reality. I will restore my clan and kill..._a certain someone._"

The atmosphere got ten degrees colder as he finished his intro. Naruto was sweating bullets, assuming like as if Sasuke was talking about him. Everything was quiet until I decided to break it. "Jeez, way to kill the mood, drama queen..."

Sasuke's glare intensified when he looked at me. Kakashi massaged his temples and turned to face me. His eye soon laid contact to my Butterfly Knives. "Nice weapons you got there; where'd you get them?"

"From a weapons shop," I lied through my teeth. Who knew lying could be so easy? Certainly was for me anyways.

He stared at me a little longer, as if trying to decide if I was telling the truth. He seemed to have bought it. "So tell us, who are you exactly Akane?"

I crossed my legs and unhinged one of my knives. "My name is Mizu Akane." I held the knife up to the sun, checking for any scratches or dents. "My likes are Naruto, rock music, my knives, and drawing. My dislikes are fan girls/fan boys, people with superiority complexes, not remembering anything of my past, and every type of flower there is except jasmines and roses. My hobbies are training, hanging out with Naruto and Hinata-hime, eating sweets and listening to music. My dream is to remember my past and become part of ANBU."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, as if intrigued by my answer, but didn't act upon it. "Good, you're each unique and have your own ideas. We'll start our mission tomorrow."

"Oh! What kind of mission?" Naruto questioned, excitement filling his eyes. "Are we guarding a princess? Are we gonna fight against bad guys? What what what?!"

I smacked him upside the head before he could continue. Kakashi looked at me and gave a one eyed smile. "Thanks Akane-chan." I raised an eyebrow. "Now, to answer your question Naruto, it's a survival mission."

My eye twitched again. "...A survival mission..."

"A survival mission?" Sakura questioned. "I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice. We did all that stuff back in the Academy, that's why we got here."

"This is not your ordinary training exercise," he informed.

"Then what kind of mission is it?" I spoke up, my patience running even more thin.

A chuckle emerged from the inside of his stomach and Sakura frowned. "Hey that's a normal question. What's so funny about it?"

Kakashi wiped away a tear and closed his book. "Oh nothing; I was just thinking about how all of you are going to flip out when I tell you this."

"Tell us what?" I shouted, standing on my feet.

"Yeah whatever you say, we can take it!" Naruto agreed.

Kakashi's face turned dark as his voice changed from carefree to seriousness, scaring me a bit. "Out of 27 graduates, only 9 will be chosen as Genin. However, since there are 28 instead of 27, there is a high possibility that there will be 10 for the very first time. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a super difficult exam with a failure rate of over 66%."

The first thing I wanted to do was grab Hatake by the throat and whisper in his ear, "I'm sorry, you must be wrong because there is no way in hell that I'm going back to the Academy!" But instead, I dug my knife into the concrete, getting in a little deep, grinding my teeth. Naruto wasn't able to form words as he sat there looking like a gaping fish (something like this O.O), Sakura sweat dropped while Sasuke simply sat there with his cold narrowed eyes.

"Ha-ha, told you you'd flip..." Kakashi taunted.

"What the hell? Then what was the point of graduating then?" Naruto shouted, getting out of his shock.

"Oh that? That was just a chance to see those that had potential of becoming Genin."

I wanted to kill someone right then and there; all that work just do more work to _actually _become actual genin. I rubbed my template and took a deep breath. 'Breathe in, breathe out. Keep calm Akane. Just keep calm...'_  
_

"Anyways, tomorrow you will be graded on the training field. Make sure to bring all your ninja tools. Oh, and make sure you skip breakfast, you'll throw up."

With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sasuke crumbled up the paper while Sakura left the group hug, staring at her paper with determination. I reread all of the instructions and also threw it away. "Hey Naruto? Guess what time it is?"

With that, our sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I ripped the Butterfly Knife out the concrete stair and stood back up. I soon paced around the place, baring my white teeth. "Guy thinks he can just come late and then tell us, 'Oh did I forget to mention that the chances of you being actual genin is like slim to none? Oh well!' Motherfucker, I'm gonna beat his ass tomorrow! When I see him, I'm gonna-"

"Akane-chan, you're talking to yourself again," Naruto reminded, stopping me mid rant.

I blinked and turned to see my teammates staring at me. I raised an eyebrow and decided to give some advice. "If I were you guys, I would eat breakfast tomorrow. Don't know why, but you definitely should. But if you don't, then that's your problem." I then headed back to the orphanage, talked with my roommates, and soon go into bed.

Before I closed my eyes, I glared at the ceiling from my single bed and muttered to myself. "I hate my scarecrow sensei..." With that, I soon went to sleep, ready for tomorrow.

* * *

**AAAAAANNNNNNDDD SCENE! That's the end of the fifth chapter of The Red Mystery. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and will leave a review/favorite/follow if you liked the story. So until next time, I will SEE YOU...in the next chapter. Ja ne~**


	7. Chapter 6

**How's it going bros and bras? My name…is _VioletDemon_! I am back to write the next chapter of the slowly improving Naruto fan fiction, the Red Mystery. So in the last episode, Team 7 was introduced to Kakashi Hatake, which already Akane didn't take a liking to. So what happens now, my dear fanfiction readers/followers? Why this awesome chapter of course! But first, I will do the disclaimer-**

**Naruto: You mean I will do the disclaimer!**

**Me: *wave him off* Yeah sure whatever, Naruto.**

**Naruto: *oblivious to my tone* AWESOME! Violet-chan does not own the series, Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. DATTEBAYO!**

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Chapter Six: Stupid Bell Test

It was around six in the morning when I decided to get up, get dressed for this stupid survival exercise, and eat breakfast. Now I know that Kakashi told us not to, but Kakashi can go fuck himself for all I care. I know I'll be grouchy and will act like a bitch if I dare to even not eat! Besides, I didn't sleep until three in the morning, but yet I was perfectly alright.

I sat on a park bench, my back faced against the sunset as I took a bite out of my tuna roll. I smiled and took in a deep breath as the delicious mouth watering sushi rolled around my tongue. Konoha Orphanage _strictly_ prohibits anyone from leaving their bedrooms around the time period from 9 to 9. As you can see, I'm not really caring at the moment. Once I was finished, I threw the wooden tray away in the garbage can on my right.

I clapped my hands together and took a deep breath. "It's alright Akane, everything will be fine. You are gonna pass that stupid exercise and you will be a genin. Just forget the part where he basically said, 'you becoming genin are slim to none'…Yeah that was an awesome pep talk Akane; real great!'

I sighed and stood up, throwing my book bag over my shoulder. I then sprinted off to find my way towards the stupid training grounds.

* * *

It was now seven as I arrived at the training grounds, noticing that I wasn't the only one there. Sasuke was present, his back pressed against the tree bark. I jumped onto a tree branch and sat down, waving my legs a little.

I smiled and looked down on him. "Good morning, Uchiha-san."

I suppressed the urge to laugh as he jumped and looked up at me. I waved and giggled when he glared at me, which somehow I found cute. I shrugged and took out my iPod from my book bag. I plugged the earphones in as I clicked on 'Coffin' by Black Veil Brides.

'Maybe I should invent a jutsu where I could use death growl and make the enemies heads explode. Yeah that sound like a good idea.'

I stopped to look down, only to see Sakura pestering Sasuke. The music was too loud for me to hear their conversation, but I knew that Sakura was only asking for Sasuke to go on a date with her. God, that girl is too desperate for a boyfriend…

A sudden sting to the center of my forehead brought me out of my thoughts. "Ow!" I took out one of my ear buds and looked down. Sasuke held a thumb sized rock in his hand, ready to strike again.

I groaned out loud and rubbed my sore area. "What the hell do you want?!"

Sakura was taken aback by my sudden harshness. "We were just making sure that you were still awake…"

"I don't get why you care," I informed, closing my eyes. "I mean, you don't like me, so you would just let me doze off and let me make a fool of myself before the test, right?"

"N-No Akane, it's nothing like that-"

"Sakura, just leave me alone."

Since I needed to hear again, I promptly just left my ear bud out, but kept the other one in. My battery shouldn't die if I keep waiting for Kakashi to come around.

This was about three hours later.

"Morning everyone; ready for your first day?" he asked, acting all happy and all that bull crap.

"HEY YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura shouted at the same time. I had to block my exposed ear; his screams combined with her screams, it was just death waiting for me.

"Well a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way," he said, even though he was obviously lying.

"YOU LIAR!" what's the point of telling you who said that.

Ignoring their explicit anger, he took out a timer and set it down on a random stump. "This timer is set for noon. Your assignment is very simple." He reached into his pocket and pulled out three bells. "You just have to take these bells away from me. If you can't get them before noon, then you will be tied to those poles over there and you'll watch me eat lunch in front of you."

It was that moment when my teammates decided for their stomachs to growl. Naruto and Sakura moaned in starvation while Sasuke just looked agitated even more than usual.

"But how's that fair?" Sakura cried. "Akane ate breakfast!"

I frowned at the snitch and focused my attention on sensei. He stared at me as he asked in a serious tone, "So you disobeyed my orders?"

I shook my head. "Technically speaking, you didn't _order_ us to not eat breakfast. You just said-and I quote-"I'd advise that you skip breakfast or else you'll throw up." So it wasn't an order, it was a suggestion, am I not correct, _Hatake-san_?"

He stared at me longer, his eye signaling that he was annoyed. I didn't show it, but I smiled at the fact that he knew I was right.

"But wait a second, there are three bells," Sakura mentioned, which was a good statement. "There are four of us though."

"Good observation Sakura. Because of that, one of you will be sent back to the Academy either way. You are allowed to use any method to get these bells including kunai and shurikens. Unless you come at me with the full intention to kill then you won't be able to land a finger on me."

"But sensei, using weapons like that are dangerous!" Sakura shouted. "You could get hurt!"

Naruto put his hands behind his head in a relaxed position. "Sakura-chan's right! I mean, you're so slow that you couldn't dodge an eraser! We could totally kill you!"

I shook my head at his stupidity. 'Naruto may be funny, but he can be a real dumbass when the situation calls for it.'

"You know the ones that bark the loudest are usually considered dead weight in the real world. So while we ignore the dead last over here, let's get started."

'Hate to admit it, but that's true most of the time...'

Looking like he's had enough, Naruto took out a kunai and twirled it on his finger before grabbing it and charging at Kakashi. He had caught everyone except Kakashi off guard as the man simply stood there like he didn't have a care in the world. In the blink of an eye, Kakashi had one hand on Naruto's wild spiky blonde hair, and his other hand holding the arm Naruto had his kunai in, pointing at the back of his head.

"Hold your horses, I didn't say start yet." He let go of Naruto as he came rushing back to Sakura's side. "Impressive though; you came at me with the intent to kill. I think I'm starting to like you guys!"

'Couldn't say the same for you, though.'

"Alright, get ready...Start!"

The four of us took off in different directions. I jumped from tree to tree, getting as far away as possible. 'Knowing Naruto, he's gonna stay behind and fight Kakashi head on. Him and his damn ego! Whatever, I need to come up with a plan.'

* * *

I pressed my back against a random tree, humming any different song that came to mind. Music usually helps me keep calm, but also helps with coming up with a plan. If only I could come up with one though...

"Plan plan plan plan," I muttered. "Why can't I come up with a plan?"

I heard a distinctive scream in the distance and rolled my eyes as I stood up and took out one of my knives. 'Can Sakura go one minute without screaming?'

I ran forward and moving past a couple of trees, I saw her unconscious form on the ground. I rushed to her aid and pressed my ear a few inches away from her lip, sighing as I heard that she was still breathing. I stood back up and almost walked away until I saw something that caught my eye.

"No way..." Uchiha Sasuke, _the _Uchiha Sasuke-proclaimed Rookie of the Year-was buried inside the ground, his head only visible. "_The_ Uchiha Sasuke gets defeated by our asshole teacher? Should've seen that coming." I wiped a tear away and smiled. "Ah well, I had my fun, I'm gonna dig you out now."

About ten minutes later, he got out, but left behind a ginormous hole behind. Sasuke was covered in dirt, but there was nothing that I could do about that. "I would offer to help you, but I don't have a napkin."

"Hn."

I frowned; that's all I get? No 'thank you Akane?' Just a plain old 'Hn?' I wonder if all the Uchihas were alive, would they all be assholes like him?

"Whatever man, if you want to be a jackass, then fine. But I'm gonna go and find Kakashi so that I can get a damn bell."

"Too late, he found you," Kakashi said.

The Uchiha and I jumped away and looked over him. "Sorry to interrupt this love fest, but you only have five minutes before the timer goes off. If I remember correctly, neither one of you have a bell."

"Well that's gonna change pretty soon Kakashi." I whipped out my other Butterfly Knife and stood in fully combat mode. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"One) that's Kakashi-sensei to you and two) I choose the hard one."

"Yeah should've expected that..."

I then patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "We should work together to take him down."

"What why?"

I sighed. "It's two against one, now you put the pieces together!"

He glared at me, but agreed with no choice. I ran at Kakashi in full speed and swung at him with one of my knives. He caught it with a kunai, making a loud 'Clang!' noise. He used his other arm to block off Sasuke's kick and push him back, sending him flying. I jumped back and made a few hand signs, surprising my teacher and the Uchiha in the process.

**"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"**

I took a deep breath and spewed out a stream of water. I growled in my mind when Kakashi easily dodged this as he jumped into the air. Once he landed back on the ground, I whipped out a kunai and threw it with all my might. Of course, Kakashi swatted it away, only to have to block an incoming amount of kicks from Sasuke. With an opening, I sprinted forward just as Kakashi pushed Sasuke back once again. My knives collided with his kunai as we battled once more, aiming my fist at his face. He quickly blocked it and I swung my leg, only for it to get blocked as well.

"Is that the best you got?"

I frowned and did a back flip kick, smiling when my foot connected with his chin. He backed away and clutched it, staring at me incredulously. I smirked, jumping back and forth, the adrenaline running through my veins. "Didn't expect that, now did you?"

Sweat beaded off of his face as he smiled at me. "For once you're right, Akane-chan. If you keep fighting like that, you could probably be better than Sasuke."

I frowned, my fists tightening against my knives. "Don't you EVER...compare me to that Uchiha bastard!"

"Oh? A little angry, aren't we? Come on Akane, you know you couldn't be better than an Uchiha."

I sprinted forward, stupid for letting my anger consume me. I aimed to stab him in the stomach, but growled when he dodged it. I quickly put my knives away and in a quick motion, threw out all the kunai and shuriken in my holster. I again ran towards him while he deflected the incoming weapons. I took a huge leap and the world seemed to turn in slow motion. My hands were so close to those bells, I could practically feel them. Just when I was about to grab them, Hatake decided to disappear.

I used my hands to perform a front flip to prevent falling on my face and stood back on my feet. "Where did he go?"

"Behind you."

I jumped forward as I barely felt the cool metal slice my neck. I turned around only for my face to engulf in a world of pain. I landed on my ass and stood back on my feet, clutching my nose. I opened my eyes to make two observations: Kakashi was nowhere to be found and Sasuke stood a few feet away from me, still in fighting mode.

"The hell man? Did you just kick me, asshole?"

"He disappeared when I was about to hit him and it was too late for me to stop!"

"I knew that I shouldn't have teamed up with you!"

"Then why did you force me to work with you?!"

"I don't know, I thought you would be useful, but like Sakura, you weren't!"

"Don't you compare me to her! I'm an elite Uchiha!"

"You're the _only_ Uchiha, aside from that crazy ass brother of yours!"

His eyes screamed murder and was about to kill me when the sound of ringing filled our ears. I grabbed my hair in frustration. 'Damn it, we're too late!'

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**That's Chapter Six guys! Hoped you enjoyed it and will kindly leave a review/favorite/follow if you liked the story. So until next time, I will SEE YOU...in the next chapter. Ja ne~**


	8. Chapter 7

**How's it going bros and bras? My name...is _VioletDemon!_ I am back once again to write the next chapter of The Red Mystery. So in the last episode, Team 7 had to face against Kakashi in order to retrieve the bells and become actual Genin. Akane and Sasuke try to team up, only to fail miserably and fail. What happens now, my dear fanfiction readers/writers? Why this chapter of course!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. I only own my OC, Akane Mizu.**

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Chapter Seven: Proud to be Team 7!

I can't believe this; we failed the bell test. I gazed at the ground, trudging around like a zombie. Stupid Kakashi, it barely felt like he was putting any effort into the fight. Let's not forget Sasuke, of course. The guy kicked me in the face, making a fool out of both us!

I scratched my head in confusion. 'But even if we worked together, Sakura and Naruto wouldn't have gotten a bell. But if we didn't work together, then we all would've failed. Alright, wait wait wait, something's not adding up here.' I stopped and rubbed my forehead. 'Okay, so the goal was to get a bell. However-like Sakura said-there were three bells and only four of us. That must mean that he wanted to pit us against each other and do everything we can just to get one. But why though when clearly none of us were successful?'

I felt my brain melt a little because of the amount of thinking I've been using. I gave up on the idea and continued strolling through the forest. I soon found myself in the clearing; Naruto was tied up to a pole while Sasuke and Sakura were sitting next to him.

Kakashi spun around and smiled (or what I believed was smiling, I couldn't tell). "Ah Akane-chan! Nice of you to finally join us."

I rolled my eyes and put my hands in my pockets. "Can't say the same for you."

I heard something rumble and turned to see Naruto with an embarrassed look on his face. "Aww, looks like somebody's hungry. That'll make you listen to me next time, won't it?" I took my seat next to Sasuke and played with the grass.

Kakashi put a hand on his chin and looked back at us. "Oh I've decided something; I'm not gonna send any of you back to the Academy."

I heard Naruto and Sakura's shouts of excitement, but I remained calm. Again, something's not adding up; why would he do that? He specifically told us that if we failed, we would have to go back. Is he playing a trick on us?

"That's right; all four of you...should be drop from the program. **Permanently!**"**  
**

Everyone stopped cheering as the news hit them. The only person that didn't look they were about to scream was Sasuke, but even I could tell that he was pretty pissed off.

"Dropped from the program? That means we can never become ninja!" Naruto started flailing around and kicking his legs. "You said that if we didn't get the bells, then we would be sent back to the Academy. You can't just your mind like that! Why would you do that?!"

"Are you saying we're unfit to be shinobi?" I asked.

"That's right; you four don't think like shinobi. You think like little kids, like brats."

Sasuke's temper flared and sprinted towards sensei, a kunai in his hand. I was about to shout out if he was crazy when a dust cloud formed around the guys. Once it cleared, it showed Kakashi sitting on the Uchiha, Duckbutt's hand behind his back, holding the kunai against the kid's neck.

"You think it's all about you."

Now this is where Sakura came in, screaming like the banshee she was. "Hey get off of Sasuke! You can't step on him like he's some kind of bug!"

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja," he continued. "You think it's all just a little game. Have you ever stopped and wondered why we would put you on a four man squad?"

Sakura put her hands on her chest and stuttered, "I-I don't know what you mean."

I feel like I should be getting it right about now, but it wasn't coming to me yet. "I'm trying, but I can't think of an answer."

"How the hell would we know?" Naruto shouted. "We didn't make up the rules!"

Kakashi shook his head. "For Kami's sake, it's so basic! Teamwork!"

Everyone, including myself, were surprised. Working together? That's all we had to do just to pass? I slapped my forehead; God, how can I be so stupid? The answer was right in front of me, but yet I never figured it out.

"But wait, I worked with Sasuke, so does that count?" I questioned.

"Akane, you consider that teamwork, when really you were using him so that you could get a bell, not caring about what happened to him afterwards!" I immediately felt guilty; I guess I was subconsciously thinking that. "Sakura! You were so obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone, while Naruto was there in front of you! You could've helped him! Naruto, you do everything on your own; everything! And you Sasuke thought that the others were so far beneath you were worthless, even when so called 'working' with Akane. You didn't even let her help out, you just did what you wanted, not thinking about your teammate in the process!"

He spun his kunai around his index finger and then put it back in his waist pouch. The man then stood up, releasing Sasuke, and walked to a large stone. "Have any of you stopped to look at this stone? The names engraved on it?" Not waiting for us to answer, he pressed on. "They are all ninja, who are honored in our village."

I heard Naruto mumble underneath his breath and then shout, "That's it! I'm gonna get my name engraved on that stone! I'm not gonna die for nothing like a dog! I'm gonna be a hero! A hero!"

Throughout his little speech, I glared at him; did he not know what that stone meant?

Kakashi looked back at him. "They are...a special kind of hero..."

"Well then, don't keep us in suspense! Tell us already!"

"They're all...K.I.A."

The blond looked confused for a moment and then smiled. "Wow really? Cool!"

Oh for fuck's sake. "Naruto you dumbass, K.I.A means 'Killed in Action.' They all died in battle! Does that sound _awesome_ to you?"

His smile disappeared and looked away, feeling that he hit a sour spot. Kakashi stared down at the stone and even though he didn't show it, I could feel the sadness radiating off of him. "This is a memorial stone. Some of the names of my closest friends are engraved on this."

A wave of guilt swam through me. 'All of his friends died? God, that sounds so horrible.'

He looked back at us and said, "Alright, I'm giving you another chance."

I was bouncing up and down in excitement. 'Yes, another chance to redeem ourselves! How awesome is that?'

"You have three hours to get a bell from me. I'd advise for you to eat lunch and build up your strength while Mr. Cheater here doesn't get any." Naruto groaned out loud and Kakashi sent him a glare that could've melted him then and now. "It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. Oh and if anyone tries to feed him, that person immediately fails. I make up the rules and you follow them, got it?"

With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving us alone.

* * *

It has been approximately half an hour since Hatake-san left. I was rocking out to 'I Hate Everything About You' by Three Days Grace while eating out of my bento box. I was about to shove some rice in my mouth when I thought I heard something. I paused my music and looked over to stare at Naruto.

"Don't worry guys! I can go days without eating! Weeks even!"

His stomach started growling again, contradicting what he just said.

'Should I give him some food? I mean, he's my best friend and I want us both to pass together! But then, Kakashi might fail us. You know what, fuck it! I don't give a damn about what that guy says!'

I held my lunch out in front of my non-related brother. "Here you go Naruto. You should eat some."

"But Akane-san!" Sakura cried out. "If you do that, then Kakashi-sensei will fail you!"

"Yeah Sakura-chan's right. I don't want you fail because of me!"

I took the ear buds out of my ears and looked at the two. "Look you guys, if there's one thing I've learned today, it's that I should trust my gut. Come on, think about it. Hatake-san told us not to eat breakfast so that we would be hungry and not be able to think straight. He pitted us against each other so that we could work together and get the bells, even though we failed miserably. I mean, for all we know, he might be testing us again. To see if we would consider putting the team above ourselves."

Naruto and Sakura slowly nodded while I looked over to Sasuke. He kept staring at me for some reason and I questioned, "What?"

"That might've been the smartest thing that ever came out of your mouth,

I flipped him the bird and handed him my lunch. "Because of that, you feed Naruto."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Feed him." I said. He gave me an evil glare but took the lunch without question. "And hurry up! He could be back any minute."

"Whatever. Don't expect me to do this again, dobe," he said before he started feeding him.

"YOU!" Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, making me almost have a mini heart attack. "You broke the rules! I hope you're ready for your punishment. Any last words?" He made a few hand signs, clouds forming and lightning crashing down onto the ground. No fair, I wanna do that!

"Yeah, you're gonna kill three innocent kids?" I asked, crossing my arms.

His awesome jutsu faltered for a moment, but it was barely noticeable. "Any last words from you three?"

"You said that there were four of us! That's why they fed me." Naruto said, but sounding more like a question though.

"We're all on this squad and we're all in this together," Sasuke stated.

"Yeah! The four of us are one!" Sakura agreed. I stayed silent and looked up at sensei.

"The four of you are one? That's your excuse? Hmm… you pass!" He said with a smile, the sky back to being all sunshine and happiness. "You're the first squad that's ever succeeded. The others followed everything I said and fell into my trap, not seeing through the deception. Squad 7 starts its first mission tomorrow, you guys are dismissed."

I smiled then took out a kunai and cut Naruto's ropes. Finally, we went back home.

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**YES I'M DONE! Phew, that took forever! Again, sorry for not updating! Life can be bullshit, you know? Anyway, review/favorite/follow if you liked this and as always, I will SEE YOU...in the next chapter. JA NE~**


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